Worrying report as Nairobi leads in teen pregnancy

Out of eight adolescent girls, one is either pregnant or has delivered, a report has indicated.

The report released by National Council for Population and Development shows that Nairobi county leads in teen pregnancy in adolescents aged 10-14 years.

This is based on statistics between January and October 2021.

Nairobi had 2,379 cases; a decrease from 2020 when the cases were 2,598.

The capital city was followed by Homa Bay which had 1,530 cases, Kajiado had 1,496; Mandera 1,370 and Bomet 1,041 cases.

Counties reporting high adolescent pregnancy among girls aged 15 to 19 in 2021 include; Bungoma with 10,291, Meru 10,406, Kakamega 11,594, Narok 9,879 and Nairobi 13,319.

The report indicated that teenage pregnancy is multifaceted with major drivers varying across counties.

Major drivers include sexual violence, inadequate reproductive health information and services, forced marriage, poverty, lack of parental guidance and peer pressure.

The report noted that ending adolescent pregnancy requires a multi-sectoral approach.

Teenage pregnancy and motherhood prevalence is at 18 per cent.

In the Eastern Region, half the counties reported an increase in adolescent pregnancy.

One in five Kenyan teenage girls is a mother. The National Council on Population and Development recorded 379,573 teenage pregnancies in 2019.

Every year, about 13,000 Kenyan girls drop out of school due to unplanned pregnancies.